Autosport International Show 2018: Day 2 Round-up

It was a much more relaxed day two at the Autosport International Show than yesterday, as the second trade day provided a good opportunity for professional talks between companies. There was still some glamour to be had, with a few stars taking to the stage.

Announcements

Radical started the day with the biggest news, announcing they had signed two trade partnerships with Motul and Hankook Tyres. The deal will see both brands being used exclusively on the Radical championships as they celebrate their 21st anniversary.

Nigel Land, Radical Sales & Marketing Director said in a Press Release; “We have undergone 12 months of intensive testing with both companies in multiple climatic and test conditions, to meet our extensive durability, quality, reliability and performance requirements.”

“Last year saw the launch of the second generation SR1 and ultimate SR8 race car to great acclaim, strengthening our international grids and offering. The appointment of Hankook and Motul further underpin Radical’s commitment and ever developing racing vision.” finished Land.

Radical would also showcase their recent SR1 Shootout winner, with Ryan Happer-Ellam having a chance to talk on the main stage.

Radicals weren’t the only company on the main stage today, with the British GT Championship’s UltraTek Racing partnering up with Henry Hope-Frost. The team also confirmed that both Martin Plowman and Kevin Fletcher will remain as the drivers for the new season.

There was also a number of smaller independent companies on display, each with their own projects for the upcoming year. Many of which we expect to be introduced to national series in due course.

Events

After the hype coming into the weekend of him performing with a stunt team, Billy Monger also got the chance to hop in to the Jaguar F-Type ahead of a display in the Live Action Arena.

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The display was used as an opportunity for the Electric GT Championship to make their debut.

The ‘Talk Shop’ proved quite popular for many of the industry professionals, with insights into engineering in the motorsport industry as well as yesterdays Ginetta G60 launch.

Meanwhile, Dare2BeDifferent welcomed in professionals, which included a 30 minute Q&A with Lee McKenzie. The programme, which encourages female racers into the sport was, amongst other plans, raising awareness.

Drivers

While some kept a low profile, a few drivers were out on force during today, with M-Sport revealing their drivers ahead of a WRC campaign. Teemu Suninen and Mikko Markkula will enter the teams third car for eight rounds, on top of a partial WRC 2 campaign.

Speaking of WRC2, M-Sport also announced that British driver Gus Greensmith and co-driver Craig Parry will drive the WRC 2 entry along with a wildcard chance at Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Elsewhere, with BRDC British F3 announcing Kush Maini as Lanan’s first driver, Hillspeed’s own entrant; Ben Hurst, was talking about his new challenge in the UK. Motorsport Radio’s interview with him will be out in the coming days.

After a busy day of BTCC announcements yesterday, Matt Neal was present, making his name known around a number of stands ahead of Saturday, the busiest day of the event.

Displays

The Ferrari and McLaren stands remained THE place for many visiting the show, as the 2017 cars took their place in a bid to attract the most fans.

While displays at Cosworth and the American Pro-Mazda car proved the international appeal for many in the stands.

Finally, congratulations to all the award winners, whether they be conglomerates or just small start-ups looking for a foothold in the industry.

Motorsport Media and Motorsport Radio will be out with interviews over the coming days, follow @msportradio on Twitter for further content.